Friday, December 24, 2010

In the blink of an eye…





that is when….
I'll be closer to You than I've ever been
Time will fly, but until then
I'll embrace every moment I'm given
There's a reason I'm alive for a blink of an eye~ Mercy Me


on december 19, 2010, the girls, my niece and daughter, were in the carpool lane of the 405N, coming home. it had been raining a lot all day, but it was just an ordinary night! As my niece and daughter jump on the fwy, they had no idea that in 5 minutes they would be in a life altering accident that COULD HAVE taken their lives forever! up ahead one car hydroplaned out of control into the center divider, the car behind him, w/ 2 teenagers hit him...all this happening while my niece & daughter, just chilln' on the FWY, coming home from eating dinner. they both then look ahead....and see the accident approach, but at 50mph, pouring rain, dark....my niece panicked, "oh! Shit!... Savannah were going to hit the car!", slammed the breaks, and just hydroplaned into the two boys car! Savannah's put her legs to her chest in protection, held on, shut her eyes and prepared herself as quick as possible for impact! the impact was so brutal, she smacked her face into her legs.

my girl is ok! thx GOD! just really shaken up. i'm taking her today for full check~up and having an x-ray of her nose ordered.

All this, and my niece's airbags never deployed! luckily, the boys in the other car, were already out of the car, dazed from their hit! the other idiot that spun out of control, jumped the center divider onto the south side of the 405, into oncoming traffic, dodging cars, as he ran to the other side of the fwy! after making sure my daughter was ok, my niece threw her hazards on, got out of the car, to see how the others were doing. she said that the two boys were unresponsive, just standing there in the rain, & dazed when she kept asking them if they were ok! because emergency was called from the 1st accident, my niece said that moments L8R, tow trucks and CHP, were already breaking traffic to get to the scene. CHP asked my niece "hey! where's that guy going?" as that LOCO was running across the FWY!

when my niece called, my heart dropped! i could tell in her voice something was wrong! when i saw the accident from the opposite side of the fwy...my nerves kicked in & i felt trapped in my car that i couldn't get to them fast enough!

I jumped out of my car and just ran to the girls... for it seemed like an eternity.
when i saw the accident up close....i just....needed to see my daughter!
i wanted to hug her, hold her, kiss her… but emergency crew wouldn't let me get to her. they just let me see her in the ambulance, see she was ok! then i had to go back to the car & wait until they could release them to us!! CRAZY, CRAZY NIGHT!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hand delivered with a delicious touch!


I had an idea that I had to share with you. I am always in and out of restaurants, and am always seeing different types of plastic containers that store food, just being tossed away. Every time I see someone tossing the container, I always think, "How can I reuse this?" Or when I'm in a candy store, and I watch the sales rep package an ordinary chocolate covered strawberry in that rectangular clear box with cute shred, I think, "yay! That's so cute!" Then you give that strawberry gift to that special someone, & they just toss that clear, rectangular box into the trash, and you're just watching it fall right into the trash can in slow motion, thinking, Nooo! Do you know what I can do with that? But you don't say anything out loud because ordinary people don't think like creative minds do!

What a Creative Living Idea! Don't u think? What I did was simply combined a candy shop package with twine & colored tissue. I needed to wrap a custom made ornament for a client that I was going to hand deliver. After wrapping the ornament, I thought, Aaargh! This is such a cute gift but it just looks so, blah! Then I remembered, I had some left over dessert in the refrigerator from the night before. So I took out the dessert, wiped the container clean, and thought… AHA! I Finally! found a reason to use these containers and not have to feel guilty by throwing them away anymore! Can I just share, that just by wrapping that cute handmade ornament, in that cute little container, filled with colored tissue paper, tied with the twine & finished off with a crown brooch, I actually made my handmade beauty look boutique, and not swap meet!

You can turn your handmade gift from boring & unthoughtful to delicious and unexpected. It's definitely an inexpensive way to regift with an unexpected solution!

Hand delivered with a delicious touch!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Gasping for air…




…wanting to breathe.



something just told me...just go to sleep. U are getting so sleepy…u are so tired!

but i just kept fighting it! "no i'm not tired i have to finish my crafting!"
zzzzzzzzz....
no! wake up! read the manual!

So, the other day I decided to become creative woman! Mariasela signed us up for a craft fair! Well there I go to Wal-Mart with my son, in tow..off to the camping section we go!
oh! Look, there are the heaters, a catalytic heater, that hubby was talking about. I'm not too sure about this, but, being that he doesn't want me to overspend, I'll just buy it! I'd rather just buy an electric fan heater, but nooo! Hubby always says that I am alpha female and I never just trust his lead.
So there I go! I buy the catalytic Coleman heater and 2 propane tanks. Luckily, I had passed the electric heaters, noticed the small one for $10, and thought, "let me get this just in case i'm not feelin' the Coleman…I'll have my mini back up."
2.5 hrs into my creative time, with my daughter to my right, working on her cervical cancer research paper & talking my ear off about high school… I get this funky lil' cough. I'm crafting in our garage, with my catalytic heater and electrical heater just going while my creative juices are flowing and my son comes around the corner and says, "Dad! What's that smell?" hubby says, "it's the metal on moms new heater. Once the heater burns through, it should go away!" Right after that, hubby kisses my daughter and I, says, "goodnight". My son says," I'm going to bed with u dad. Mom, can you wake me up when u come to bed, and then I'll go into my room."
"Ok buddy." Off they go!
My daughter and I, we are just chit chatting away, for about another hour when all of a sudden, I am hit with this ferocious need to close my eyes and go to sleep. Now, it's close to midnight, and we're all on vacation, except for hubby. Since I had been crafting all day I thought, man! I'm exhausted. I nod off, and wake up again, and this thought in my head said, read the manual on this propane heater, and see just what it says about home use of a propane heater, in an enclosed garage.
And then again, as I'm crafting, my head keeps nodding off. in my unconsciousness I keep telling myself finish! Finish ur craft, then go to bed!
i wake up and feel this weird gurgling in my chest…and this annoying feeling to cough. As I am flipping through the 1st 2 pages of the catalytic heaters manual, I read that, "propane gas is heavier than oxygen and that it can cause suffocation if used in an enclosed room without enough circulation". I look around, I'm in the garage with no windows and the doors shut! I look at savannah, and ask savannah, "do u smell something that I don't."
"no mom stop being so paranoid!" Typical teenager, oblivious to her surroundings, and I'm a paranoid parent. So, I read on, other symptoms are nausea, light headedness, anorexia…wait! that one is ok…dizziness, etc. etc. etc. I knew it! I knew I shouldn't have bought this crap for the garage, but noooo! Hubby thinks I just want to spend money, blah! Blah! BLAH! so I turn off the catalytic Coleman heater, and try to keep crafting when all of a sudden savannah goes from 100 miles an hour , talking my ear off to…" mom I just can't keep my eyes open anymore."
I said, "me too let's turn in."
We wake up the next morning, I feel so exhausted …we can't eat, light headed, and keep getting this mini migraine headache off and on.

"Yup! U guessit? I had carbon monoxide poisoning!"

Monday, December 13, 2010

she can't, can't....

...dance on to the moulin rouge!


isn't that just some b*({$#!+ right there!
i mean, seriously...i'm kind of bumbed out by this! however, so much has transpired in 2010, that, if u were here, in my world...there would be no s#!+$, and giggles!
life happens, and no matter how prepared u think u are....curve ball! swing!
u strike out!
and being that i am not invincible... i was hit on my head.
mom, swears that she is going to hit the lotto one of these days. i have been waiting since 1983 for her to hit! she strikes out too.
why does she bounce back? i think it's because she a dreamer... and she keeps her dream alive!
well, mom...i am going to follow in these footsteps. i am going to click my heels twice... and as soon as the moulin rouge approaches, i am going to say," there's no place like kim's home! there's no place like kim's home!"
and by some miracle...i think... i might just be there come march!
wish me luck...witch!



Saturday, December 11, 2010

belt yourself in tight...

...because we are in for a ride! yyyahoooo!

charlie chaplin

these vintage inspired belt buckles were just a joy to create! i could just embellish and decorate until my heart desired! then i thought...ooops! some of these are for men! and sure enough...my husband ran off with one in this collection.

sophia loren

laurel and hardy!
atleast i know...if my husband can sport one of these beauties...i know other metro males can sport them well, assssss' well! {it was a james dean!}
james dean
jean harlowthe fabulous mae west....

aaaargh!

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

inspiration delivered!


i have been movin' and grovin' but haven't been able to blog a post to save my life...until now! it's amazing how an artist mind works. very fragile i tell u. u come to the computer, u sit and look at the key pad, and....nada! not'a damn thing comes to mind. u leave u go out with the fam, u come back, u upload the pictures, and....ur not motivated to write about that because, aaaah! it's to soon to talk about.

anyway, my girlfriend mariasella signed us up to do a local craft fair, and that's when my creative angel came and sat on my shoulder to chit chat! and whooolah!

inspiration was delivered!

the golden era of hollywood inspired my creative juices and i was soaring with memories of watching all these classic movies with my mom as a kid. my mom wanted to be an actress, dancer, singer...u name it, she was trying it. my mom can watch old movies on a rainy day, all day long and crochet. and there i was, right there next to her, thinking i was going to be shirley temple one day, " on the good ship....lollipop!"


well, hollywood never did call, but it did inspire me to create an solder my heart out! as i soldered each one of these ornaments....i was listening to old christmas carols streaming on kbig 103.5, i was just going down memory lane...with fred astaire. 2 of my favorite characters from wizard of oz are the cowardly lion, and the wicked witch! and as i was decorating them, i could laugh like the witch, scare myself, and then say..."put'em up, put'em up! fight you with my eyes closed, ay!"

oooh! and then jean harlow hit the table and "aaah!' i could here madonna's "vogue" playing in the background of the christmas carols, "just here those sleigh bells ringling'...vogue, vogue, vogue"! that's just how my mind work. it's just going places. then charlie chaplin jumped on the brain and man! i thought laurel and hardy....and boooom! i was back on stage again, in front of a packed audience, laughing...at me! yeah! i was funny! ameteur of course, but....i was funny!
record scratches in the background....my conscience tells me
"priscilla come back girl...ur dreaming again witch!"


and then, i'm back!
and....scene! LOL!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

girl, ur amazing just the way u are...

Man! Growing up without a father, I never realized the power of having a good, responsible, God fearing father around!
It's sooo important especially during these trying girls teen years! U have to talk to her about self~respect, what hazard signs to look for.... Y u don't need to look for attention... Because just being urrself is ENOUGH! Those words are so meaningful, coming from a respectful father figure!


Daddy & daughters relationship sets the bar for her future! Not just imagining it, but living it! He said to our daughter, u have nothing to worry about, the boys are going to be plenty because ur beautiful inside & out! So set ur standards now Savannah because who ever the lucky guy is in the future, should consider himself LUCKY!!! Be confident & don't go looking for affirmation, let ur confidence in urself define u!
Damn! That was the talk! That was the talk that could have saved so many girls from getting involved with the dead beat men

u are blessed!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

You've Lost that Blogging Feeln'!

OMG! Does anyone have a cure for the creative blues? It's been 1 month that I either can't find inspiration, to craft, to write, or draw. I'm in the creative funk...
We have finally moved into a new lil' house in the OC, I put my studio together in our garage. It looks so tantalizing! I sit in my studio, organizing, putting stuff away, shuffling things back & forth...&.....nada!
I've visited the shop that is housing my Vintage Bruja line of handmade goodies, &...unfortunately, the adorable lil' store in Norco, Ca is getting no foot traffic what~so~ever!
So...what do u do for the creative blues? I can hear Dory from Nemo telling me, "just keep swimming, swimming...." and I'm treading, treading!
Well....hopefully, I can get it together & make some things happen!

Wish me luck...bruja!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

since u've been gone!



I have been virtually & physically so inundated with moving, working, kids, practice, etc. etc.
I have to first start by apologizing for not keeping u all posted on what life's gifts has offered me! so, with that said, know that I am trying to get all my ducks in a row, so that I can bring u all the updates on what has been transpiring since my last post.
thank god, first and foremost that no deaths need to be reported, family is healthy, & spirits are finally gettn' higher with smiles to follow.
For a minute there, I didn't think that with all of our lives changing & altering happenings or shall I say altering moments... I couldn't help anyone see the silver lining. But, check back here in a few days, or subscribe to this blog feed, and soon I will be able to chronicle our transition from the wine business we once had, to losing all our life dreams, aspirations & still coming out on top, family & spiritual possessions in tact.
chapter by chapter, of my willingness & determination to persevere over all the obstacles we've had to endure as a family, & not allowing any worldly "wants" look like "needs".
See u soon, I promise!

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Generics, bioequivalence, daw2…oh my!

A lot of scientific words that can throw anyone off, or just plainly lose interest. right? Well, that's why I had to blog about this, because most people out there don't know what the hell their dealing with, when it comes to healthcare, insurance, and/or their own health period. To often, I see pharmacist look as if they have saved the patient's day, when it comes to the patients' pocket book. But seriously, does it have to be at the risk of the patient suffering a "what could be" a life threatening side effect?

I mean, pharmaceutical companies need to pay for scientific research & data that shows that the results for the medication / molecule are duplicateable in various patient populations, over and over, and over again, and again…u get the picture! And trust me, the labor, it's not cheap here in the states and abroad to conduct these studies. So, with that said, companies pay for this R&D {research & development}, plus, the chance to bring it to market and make money from this R&D that cost them an arm & a leg to help that patient population that is suffering from that chronic illness for the next 10years. Why 10 years? Because that's how long the pharma company has paid to patent that medication and be the sole proprietor of that medication, and no one else can make and develop that medication, until then. Ok. So, after a product has been around for 10 years…the generic "vultures" come out to see how successful the distribution of that medication is, and if all the cards align, and it makes great business sense…that company will begin to pay for the rights to manufacture that product. That's how you, the patient, end up with the option to pay for a "branded" or "generic".

"branded" ~medication means that, that medication is being manufactured by one company. So, it's the same as, coka~cola manufactures "coke". So every time you drink a coke, you as a consumer, know what you're going to get every single time you pop the top.

"generic"~ medication means, that "any ol'company" knows what ingredients goes into coke, except the ratio of syrup and sugar may be a bit different . In the soda there might be more of one over the other but…it's still close enough to consider it comparable to coke, however, their label is "kola". And because they didn't have to spend as much money on advertising, and can ride on the coat tails of cokes master marketing…even if they get 5% of the coke's pie, they would have made enough money to continue putting generic "kola" on the shelf.

bioequivalence~ so, "mass production co" wants to produce a "coke-like" soft drink. All "mass production co" has to do is come up with a formula that shows that it is within a certain threshold of the original "coke", in order for them to go into mass market and begin to distribution. So, biologically, it looks like it's same molecule and scientifically the molecule shows that it can be equivalent…not equal, but equivalent {which means it's just close enough but not exactly like}. And to be real honest, psyche, cardiology and any medication having to do with balancing hormones & preventing pregnancies, should not be substituted at any differential in cost! Seriously! These are some hardcore meds.

So, let's just say your dr puts you on birth control pills, at each pill having 20mg of estrogen {EE}. If you stay on the "branded", you know every time you go to pick up your prescription, it will always be manufactured by the same company and have the same amount of hormone in each pill for every pack. Same colors, same logo, etc., etc.

Now, you go to pick up your prescription, and the pharmacist says, the medication just went generic, and if you want a lower co-pay or price, the generic is just the same minus the cost. Would you like to pay less and take the generic? So I questioned the pharmacist and said, the medication isn't the same, mr. pharmacist, it's bioequivalent. Right? He said, oh! I can see you've done your research.

Bottom line, the pharmacist knows that a generic drug is not the same as a branded drug. With a generic, u never know the dosage. If the dr prescribes a 35mg pill, there's a chance that next month, the generic has changed, and so has the manufacturer. Also, you could be getting 45mg or 25mcg, instead of 35mcg, which is what you need, not what your pocketbook wants!.

Remember, the companies that manufacture generics only need to prove bioequivalence not {p value= <.05} that the medication is 35mg 95% of the time it's dispensed, which is what a "branded" pill has to prove.

And the next time the pharmacist asks, would you like to switch to a generic? say no! and don't allow them to over write the dr orders with " DAW2".

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

i think i can, i think i can...

ride the train up north again. it was so conveinient with the kids.
fullerton, ca
once amtrak get wifi, this is going to be the best way to travel with kids.

where else can u pop! popcorn listen to music from your iphone, play on the ds while traveling a long distance. not a long distance by air standards, but long enough that a car ride with these two monsters, would surely be a nightmare! "mom, he's touching me", "mom, she's laughing at me", "mom, he's looking at me"! yah...nope! can't see it happening again!

plus, u don't have to stop at a rest area to use the "funky"restrooms either. the restrooms are right there, nice and clean. and if you forgot to pack snacks, the cafe is just below or 2 carts away! it was fabulous.

the only downfall, is...the constant stops. which make the trip a bit longer than by car. and, along with those constant stops...you pick up the most interesting people! some you wish customs could screen before getting onto the train. but...it takes all kinds to make the world go round. so, in oder to make lemonade out of lemons...i made the weirdos a learning experience. "see kids what happens when you don't make the right choices in life..." or, "that's what u get when you don't go to college..." it made for great conversations. especially, after we pick up 2 street crawlers that sat behind us, knowing the kids were in the seats playing games, etc.! anyway, they sit behind us and they just bombed us with f~bombs, to explain why his baby's momma.....blah!blah!...f~bomb!..., blah!

so what did i do? thanked god for the speaker on my iphone and blasted imelda's johnny got boom boom from the pandora app to tune and flush out their filthy mouths. that might have been how the, "see what happens when u don't go to college..." conversation made its' debut!

all in all, we had a great time up north. ps~ i'm luvn' the pics off the iphone!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

bubbles, bubbles, mermaid tails...

...and me always causing trouble.

well, what can i say, miss kim caldwell pulled it off again! another fantastice artistic affaire, that will go down in the books as one of my favorie pass times. darn! and i never take enough pictures! arrgh.


IT'S A SICK LOVE~FEST
Seriously, I love every detail that kim puts into her events. I mean, it’s amazing that she does it all, not just for the love of crafting but for the love of an artistic community of women. She makes these events look and feel like an art spa. Everything from the venue, the decorations, down to the napkin ring holders, are carefully planned and executed by kim { & her mistress’}.

{mistress val~ one of my table partner}
Every one of her sponsors, and the women just attending the event, make it possible for this under the sea adventure to set sail into the night without any waves.
I am so glad I am in so cal, to pack up my car, drive to the event and come right back home with a mountain of luv’n gifts to remember all of these beautiful mermaids by.

EMOTIONAL HEAD TRIP
It’s nice to hear, all these women laughing and enjoying our laugh, because it allows you to take time and enjoy each others company. plus, you get to meet new women from all over, every newbie is just taking in all the eye candy, and trying not to feel overwhelmed or intimidated by everything surrounding them like all the new faces, new names, and definitely very different personalities. then you think wow! I read her blog? Should I start a blog? What do I write about? oh look! she seems so sweet. is she approachable? I read her blog and now look, there she is…I don’t know her but I love her blog~ories. I laugh with that one girl, and she know that other girl. I read that other girls blog, too. She’s funny too! But I’m afraid to talk to her because she’s going to think I’m a stalker? Wow! Look at the center pieces, these are so beautiful, I could never create like this! What did I get myself into…shit! Jenny doh just said hi to me! …omg, that was the editor for my fav magazine, and know she’s like right here. What do I say? That napkin ring would look so good at my house. Can I take it? How embarrassing. Wait! Kim’s giving stuff away too! I love raffles. I hope she calls my name?

THERE'S A LIGHT AHEAD
I mean…the list goes on and on with shit going through your head of meeting, exceeding, or living up to your own personal expectations. plus nerves, chills, and then you get the warm embraces!

BURP!
aaaah! there is this sigh of relief, you pack up your bags, and realize how is all that shit going to fit in the duffle bag I brought! Because let me tell you, my girl mariasella doesn’t pack light and luv’s to shop, shop, shop. our car drives away every venue with a “burp”!

once it’s all over, you get home, you take out the stuff to show your family all your accomplishments {or lack thereof}, and it feels like it’s just never going to end! However, give yourself about a week to get over the spa high of the calming smell of glue because then there is this sense of beauty that manifests from these events…and that’s when you’ve been bitten by the

“caldw-ug”

see you nextyear at "the moulin rouge"

Thursday, July 15, 2010

bowl of cherries...

was empty?

yup...we went to a cherry festival in beaumont, ca...and they barely had cherries.
mary engelbreit would have been so disappointed. look!
not one of the 5 local farmers was represented at this years cherry festival. i thought that was so sad. especially with all the development that's happening. u would think that lone rangers would have been there to represent the dying breed. right?
well i guess their marketing director forgot to make sure if your going to advertise cherry festival....maybe the local growers should represent at the event or maybe the event should be held at a cherry farm so we could actually pick the cherries.
that's why i get paid the big bucks. {toot! toot!}

Saturday, July 10, 2010

up...up...and away...

in san fran.
this is how we brought in the summer! memorial weekend landed us up north!





Friday, July 02, 2010

whimsical twinkles filled the air...

castle in the air

berkley, ca



it really was one of the most spectacular rooms of inspiration and imagination. my son was going nuts about embellishments. he was just looking at everything with such interest. it was great!



they have the best selection of dresden i have ever seen. and, u can order online. it's a paperlovers dream. glass glitter was everywhere.

a definite must see if your up north. wow!